Nectarines

Trader Joe's had a 4 lb box of nectarines last week, and of course I had to have it. It was such a good purchase! I of course ate some of them fresh, letting the juice run down my chin. (This is the most appropriate way to enjoy them in August.) I couldn't eat 4 lbs of nectarines in less than a week, so I had to get a little creative. I found them to be great for a lot of projects!

Like, making cobbler...




...and jam!

I cut the rest of them in half, skinned and pitted them, and put them in the freezer for a cold day which, I'm sure, will beg for more cobbler!

Barely Boston, Part 1-Living Room/ Office/ Meditation/Music Room

I must admit, the amount of time I spend out in the city is a lot less than it should be. That's only because I love our apartment so very much! Sadly it is so awesome that it makes our dorm furniture look like absolute junk. Oh, well. Something to aspire to, right? I think it's lovely the way it is, as long as it is a refuge for just Brad and me, but it is in no state to welcome guests as we only have two chairs and no couch. Anyway, here it is in all of it's glory.





If you can tear your eyes away from the beautiful floors and that stunning window for a moment, you will notice all the bundles and bundles of wires. This makes me CRAZY. But such is the life of a tenant in an old building. Each room has one pair of outlets from which we must carefully pick and choose to draw electricity, lest the lights flicker. That is the only small complaint to be had. There is plenty of room for all of our stuff...and then some. Brad has his "area for meditation" and I have mine. The building is barely within the Boston city limits, but one side of the building is half a block from the a main artery of the city, Commonwealth Ave. The other side of the building (our side of the building) faces a shady New England suburb. Hence, the fluttering tree outside the bay window. We really do have the best of both worlds here.

Our neighborhood: Cafe Japonaise

We've been here over a week now, and the final box has been broken down and sent to the recycling bin. Boston has been good to us so far. I think it's because I've been following the advice of Francis in Under the Tuscan Sun. "Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce yourself to you."
Brad and I have been on quite a few mini adventures so I'm already behind on my blogging, so I suppose the only way to remedy this problem is to start now!





Although we miss Bollo's and Plebes very much we have found a comfortable niche at Cafe Japonaise. The first thing we noticed when we walked in was the decoration. The cafe is two stories and the mirror collage on the back wall of the second floor is pretty cool. We thought the contraption on the stairway was a bank vault lock, but upon closer inspection it has been discovered to be something way cooler: a wheel chair elevator!
The decoration isn't the only distinguishing feature of this coffee house. It has the cafe staples, in addition to some gorgeous house specialties. In the pastry case, traditional French and Japanese pastries are buffered from each other by a selection of fusion treats. Brad and I have a particular fondness for the large puff pastry purses filled with sweetened azuki beans and whipped cream. We like to believe the half mile walk is enough exercise to justify splitting a sugary, buttery treat...

My Best Friend's Wedding

via CSE photos

My cousin Christina got married this weekend, and I was lucky enough to be the maid of honor!! Her wedding was so quintessentially her and it went without a hitch! She was so beautiful and the love between her and her groom, Matt, was radiantly evident. I hope they know that the beauty of the wedding was also a reflection of how their family and friends feel about them. We all wanted to pitch in for the success of the celebration to show our appreciation for the relationship each of them has with us.

It was the best English garden party I have ever attended. I laughed, I cried, I danced. "Two thumbs way, way up! "

It was grand and glorious

July 4th was notable, to say the least. Yesterday I:

• Enjoyed blueberry pancakes made by my lover, with fresh whipped cream.
  
• Went on a geocaching hike that got a little out of control. It was supposed to take an hour and a half, but we got lost and the hike lasted for 4 hours! Poor Lover got stung by a bee and I fell and scraped my knee. We survived though...barely. :o)
  
• Celebrated our return to civilization with chicken tenders, fries, Cherry Coke, a gallon of water, Gatorade and Slurpees.
• Hosted an impromptu grill out complete with grilled, local corn on the cob!
• Made home made blueberry shortcake (again with fresh whipped cream) for dessert.
  
• Watched the town fireworks from the comfort of a giant blanket in my back yard surrounded by friends and fireflies.

Today, I'm just recovering. The famous Drew and Lydian are to arrive tomorrow! I think we'll have a private concert in our home on Wednesday! SO EXCITING!!

Need.

MIKOH swimwear is based out of Australia, so naturally, their bathing suits aren't just hot, they're sporty too! (Read: They stay put even if you're doing more than working on your tan.)
The front just looks like a basic bikini, and then, BAM! Check that out in the back!! Somebody, please donate $185 to me so I can frolic on the beach feeling like sex on a stick...

The height of Summer!

I always feel like July 4th weekend is the height of summer. Really, does it get any more Summery than this?